


Lost Soul

by DD_Dreamer



Category: Bleach, Fairy Tail
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Out of Character, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-25 16:44:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DD_Dreamer/pseuds/DD_Dreamer
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia sacrificed herself to save her friends from Tartaros. Now, she is a lost soul wandering in a different world. Feeling despair, she meets other people with unique abilities to save souls who call themselves Soul Reapers. They might be the answer to saving her friends' souls and returning her to her world but not everything is as simple as it seems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone. I wrote a couple of Fairy Tail fanfiction (ff) but this is a first time for writing a Bleach one. So I apologize if my limited knowledge shines only a little bit in this story. I am mostly writing this ff from the anime. You will have an idea of the setting for both anime once you read the story.
> 
> The inspiration struck me as I was reading a couple of really good Fairy Tail and Bleach crossover fanfiction. I thought about what if Lucy's spirit ended up in Bleach's world. Though I must warn you, this story will be Lucy centric as most, if not all my ff, are centered on my favorite heroines. And this ff will be a Lucy harem. Again, this is my first attempt with such a thing as a harem.
> 
> I don't know if my attempt is successful but let me know what you think.

**Fairy Tail**

Lucy Heartfilia failed to save her friends.

They were swallowed by the black inky stuff that made up Tartaros and she was the only one left standing between three demons, not that it mattered Loke, her lion spirit, and Virgo, her maid spirit, were keeping two of them busy.

"Such a weakling," one of the demons, named Jackal, taunted. He kept blasting her with bombs, damaging her already weakened body. Her magical energy was waning. She didn't know how long she could support both Loke and Virgo. Another blast hit her rock hard in her abdomen causing to kneel over.

With the little energy left, she reached for another golden key at her side.

"No!" Virgo cried. "You don't have enough power to open another gate!"

Lucy shook her head, the movement caused her to wince. She bent over. The water splashed around her bloody and battered frame. The water was high enough to cover her nose and mouth. If she shut her eyes, she could finally join the others…. Except they weren't dead. They were sucked in some part of Tartartos that she couldn't reach them.

She chanted the words as the golden key flashed brightly in her hand. A mermaid with an urn appeared, hovering over the water. Blue eyes assessed the damage before anger engulfed her face.

"What have you done, Idiot, summoning me here when you can barely stand on your two legs?"

Lucy was panting for air. "Not en-ou-gh time." She used what little energy she had left in her arms to keep her from face pummeling in the water.

"Close her gate, Lucy!" Loke called out to her. "Your magic is not stable to have three of us out at the same time!"

She blinked her eyes. There was dark laughter echoing in the air. "Such a pathetic little Fairy."

"What did you say?" the cold voice came from mermaid who wrapped an arm around Lucy, picking up her limp body from the sloshing river.

"Such pathetic creatures. You should join the rest of your friends." The demon leered.

Loke was going to say something when the other demon attacked him. Virgo was busy dodging the attacks from another demon.

"N-ow," Lucy whispered to the mermaid spirit who once belonged to her mother.

The spirit raised her urn, large amounts of water poured from it and stopped Jackal's next explosion.

"I can't keep this up for long. Your magic is diminishing." Again, she raised her urn to pour water out of it. The demon fell down from the slaughter of waves hitting him all at once.

"I-I." Lucy could barely form words. She blinked again.

"There is only one choice, Lucy. You have to break my key and summon the Celestial King."

"Wh-at?" she gasped.

"You must sacrifice-."

"No!" Virgo screamed as she was shoved into the ground. Her battered form couldn't handle the fist from the other demon. She shimmered and disappeared into the celestial world.

"Aquarius, don't let her-." He never finished his sentence. The demon struck him with dark magic, making him vanish into the celestial world too.

"In order to save your friends, you must call on the Celestial King," the mermaid warned her. Jackal came at them with another one of his explosions, but Aquarius was able to dodge it in time.

"B-ut…."

"Stop being a baby."

Moisture gathered in her eyes and she blinked them again. The tears fell into water like droplets of rain. Her vision was blurry as she recalled what happened to her friends. She wasn't able to stop the black stuff from covering her friends and she and Aquarius were the only two left to fight against three demons.

Another explosion sounded not too far away from them and Lucy grunted in pain when the mermaid spirit evaded it.

"Now, Lucy! Break my key and summon the Celestial King!"

The demon's attack hit them and Lucy found herself crashing into the water. Aquarius' limp form was right next to her. The urn had shattered into pieces.

She blinked. A tall form hovered over her. "Such a pathetic little Fairy. Too bad we couldn't play some more with you."

He past her and put his foot on the mermaid's hand. Lucy heard a muffled pain and her spirit's words came back to her. "Don't be useless."

She needed to break Aquarius' key in order to summon the Celestial King in Earth land. However, she would never see her friend again.

She closed her eyes and barely lifted a golden key that somehow remained in her hand. Using the last magical energy she could muster, she broke Aquarius' key. Tears ran down her face in rivulets as a bright light temporarily blinded the demons. Then it fell from the sky, striking through the big block floating in the air. Immediately, the light formed into a stocky masculine frame of the Celestial King. His silver hair, golden armor, a long sword and mustache became clearly visible.

"Y-ou," she panted before allowing her body to slump in the water. The broken key fell from her still hand to sink in the water.

A nasty laugh crackled in the air. "It's too late old rival. The one who summoned you is dying," the man named Mard Geer said. Both demon and celestial spirit looked at each other but with every passing second, Lucy was struggling to keep conscious.

"I…." Her eyes shut tightly. Breathing was becoming harder as the water splashed over her. The liquid was getting into her nose and mouth. She could feel the lower part of her body sinking into the water.

"Sor-ry."

Her last breath escaped her parted lips as her heart stopped. Her body sank into the river along with the broken key while the Celestial King used the last of his magical power to create a white light that scoured through the earth. It was strong enough to free the Fairy Tail members from the black inky stuff that imprisoned them and to petrify Mard Geer into stone.

"I'm sorry, old friend." The Celestial King was fading into nothingness. "I'm sorry." He bowed his head to hide the anguish overtaking his face when two of Lucy's friends arrived at the scene. They were shocked and saddened at what they saw. There was a broken and battered body of a blond girl lying on the river's edge along with a shattered golden key.

The Celestial King vanished, taking the last brightness of Fairy Tail.

oOo

**Karakura Town**

There were two different worlds. The regular world and the spiritual world.

Not that it mattered to the world of the living, but there were some people, referred to special people who could see spirits that walked among the living. An orange haired teenage guy was one of them as he noticed a feminine form standing in the middle of the street during daylight hours. Her face was tilted upright, giving him a clear vision of her profile. She appeared young, in her teenage years. Her eyes were dark, large, and round. She had quite a curvaceous form as he let his eyes wander down her body. His face tinted with color before looking away.

"You see her, don't you?" Wind plucked at a wayward strand of the raven haired girl standing next to him. She gathered her hair in her hands to keep it away from her face.

"Sure," he said. The spirit lowered her head and glanced around before stopping at them. He saw large pools of brown eyes widening at them. Then he saw the hole in her chest that led to a long never ending chain, except the chain wasn't silver like the other souls he encountered. This soul had a golden chain and the reiatsu was different from any other soul he had met but it was a strong one.

"It's impossible," the girl from next to him whispered. Her dark eyes widened as she took a step toward the spirit.

"What is?" he asked.

"She's not from around here," she said. "Don't you feel her reiatsu and see her chain?"

He nodded his head. As if the figure could sense them moving toward her, she stepped back. The white dress she had on swayed around her bare legs.

"Do you think we should help her move on?" he questioned.

"I would but she's a lost soul."

"A lost soul," he repeated the words. He frowned, not liking the sound of it.

"They are souls who are from other worlds."

The orange haired guy turned his attention from the blond spirit to his friend. "Are you saying there are other worlds besides the Soul Society and wherever dead people go to once the Soul Society deems it's okay for them to pass on."

"Yes."

"Then do we let her wander around?"

"No. If she does, her unusual reiatsu will attract unwelcomed hollows."

"We definitely can't afford that," he said.

He was about to accost the spirit when her eyes widened and she took another step back. Rukia Kuchiki grabbed his arm and stopped him. "We can't startle her either or else she can attract hollows."

His eyes narrowed on the spirit. "So what are we suppose to do?"

"I need to contact the other Soul Reapers in the Soul Society?" She pulled out a cell phone from her pocket.

The strange feminine form retreated further.

His hands clenched into fists while he gritted his teeth. He felt a sudden urge to help the spirit. He tugged at the hand holding his arm.

"Let me go to her. At least let me talk to her."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Rukia said. "Who knows if she's like the other spirits."

"We'll never know unless you let me try."

He heard Rukia sigh before letting him go. "Approach her slowly."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Rukia meant well but she forgot that although he might be a Substitute Soul Reaper, he had enough experience dealing with spirits. He saw them and helped some of them move on before he met her that one faithful night.

The strange spirit moved back as he walked slowly toward her. He lifted his hands into the air as a sign of peace in order not to alarm her. He could tell by the widening of her eyes and how she splayed her arms and her legs wide apart that she was waiting for the right moment to bolt.

He stopped a few inches away from her with his hands still in the air. Calmly, he introduced himself. "Hi." He waved one of his hands. "My name is Ichigo Kurasaki. What's your name?"

The spirit blinked her eyes at him. He decided the best way to get her to open up was if he kept talking to her.

"I usually travel here to go to school and I've never seen you before. By the way, you're in Karakura Town. I have been living here all my life." He scratched his head with one hand. The other one went limp at his side.

She looked less panicked and more focused on his words. She brought small fists over her chest as she blinked at him again. Another urge went through him, one to protect her. Usually, he helped souls that couldn't defend themselves but this feeling went beyond those. He could compare the feeling to wanting to protect his friends and family.

"Do you know how you got here?"

He wasn't expecting an answer. She shook her head. Long blond tresses followed her dainty movement.

He swallowed. "Where are you from?"

"Fiore," she whispered. Her voice sounded sweet. It was Ichigo's turn to blink his eyes.

"Fiore?"

She nodded her head.

"Where is that exactly?" He never heard of a place called Fiore. Was is it a place in another country? But then he remembered Rukia told him that this spirit was from a different world.

The blond girl shrugged her shoulders. No longer deeming him a threat, she lifted her face toward the sun. Ichigo's breath caught at the sight. He gulped nervously and laughed sheepishly. The girl's eyes darted to his own. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Lucy… Lucy Heartfilia."

She removed her hands from her ample chest to clutch at the hem of the white dress.

"Lucy is a nice name," he offered.

A small smiled played on her pink lips. He felt like he should say more things to make her smile. He scratched his head again. What the heck was happening to him?

"Do you know how you got here?"

She shook her head as her eyes went back to stare at the sun.

"You know you can get blind if you stare directly into the sun?" It was a stupid thing to say, but she tilted her head in his direction and a part of him was glad to see another smile displaying on her pretty face.

"The sun rays are so beautiful here like in Fiore," she whispered. He craned his neck to look at the sun but had to partially shield his eyes with a hand.

"It is beautiful. It's funny how I walk down this street every day and I don't take notice of such a simple thing."

"You're not the only one who doesn't notice the simple things they have in their life." Her face turned serious.

What was that statement supposed to mean? Another person came to stand on his side. He saw how the blond girl's figure stiffened.

"I'm sorry." The dark haired girl apologized. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"Lucy," she said.

"I'm sorry for startling you," Rukia said and she lowered her head.

"It's alright. I don't belong here." She raised her arms to emphasize herself.

Rukia and Ichigo frowned. "Why do you say that?"

The spirit smiled sadly as her eyes had a far off look. "I have traveled to different places in Fiore with my friends and never came across a place like this one." She paused. She lifted a hand to the chain dangling from her chest. Her fingers curled around it. "Besides, I never had one of these hanging from me before."

Ichigo gulped. For some reason this spirit made him nervous.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

The spirit shook her head in dismay. Tears sprung in her big eyes. "I failed to save my friends and now I must wander here in this unknown world as punishment for failing them."

Ichigo could hear Rukia's gasp. "So you're aware that you're not from this world?"

"Yes."

Rukia didn't know what to say to that.

"Did you get in contact with anyone from Soul Society?" he questioned as he turned to look at his petite dark haired friend.

"No. I can't get any signal."

So basically, they were screwed over. They didn't know what to do with the spirit in front of them. On one hand they could try to help her move on. On the other hand, they could wait with her until someone from Soul Society came along. However, the golden chain linking the spirit into the real world was only temporary. And the longer they waited, the more this spirit would attract hollows from the spiritual world. She was a sitting duck.

"We can't wait here all day," he said as he clenched his hand into a fist.

The spirit regarded him with a confused expression on her face.

"How about you go to school and I stay here with her?" Rukia suggested to him.

"And if a hollow attacks you, you'll fight it?" he returned with a question.

"That's the plan," she said with a frown.

"You forget that your powers haven't fully returned as yet?"

"You forget that you need me here when you go into your Soul Reaper form."

His eyebrows tugged together as he folded his arms across his broad chest. Rukia was talking about when he turned into a Soul Reaper, his spiritual form left his body and his body was vulnerable to any attacks. He needed someone to move his body while he faced the hollows.

"Then we both stay here with her," he said.

"You don't need to," the blond spirit commented. "I can stay here by myself." Her voice sounded so distant and depressed.

There was something about the blond spirit girl being sad that didn't sit right with her angelic appearance. Ichigo's eyebrows joined together. Since when did he think about her being angelic? He slightly shook his head. He could see Rukia's facial expression and she looked somewhat baffled. Maybe it was a good idea that both of them stayed with her. Her depression might turn her into a hollow since either a depressed or vengeful soul became a hollow once devoured by a hollow.

"That's not a good idea," Rukia said.

The blond girl titled her head curiously at Rukia. "Why not? I've been standing here since the sun came out."

"Well, you're not from around here and there are things that hunt lost souls like you."

What Rukia said must have been a slap to her face. The spirit glanced down at her arms and the golden chain dangling from her chest. Her breathing quickened and her eyes widened.

"I never thought I will become like one my celestial spirits."

"Huh?" Rukia dumbly questioned.

The blond girl reached for something in her pocket and took out a rusty ring with rusted objects hanging from it. The rusted objects appeared to be keys. Liquid falling on the blackened keys caught his attention and he looked back at her with astonishment. She was crying.

"These are my friends too," she said almost too quietly for him to hear.

Had she gone crazy? How could keys be her friends?

"I have a magical ability to summon spirits from the celestial world. These are keys to unlock them from that world."

He blinked his eyes several times. Magic. Keys unlocking a celestial world. It all sounded like the girl went bonkers before she died.

"Hey Rukia?" He elbowed his friend. "Are you sure she's from a different world?"

His friend nodded. "Look at her chain. Have you seen other spirits with the same color?"

"No, but it sounds like she's gone crazy."

Rukia hit her forehead with a palm and sighed, then she hit him on the head.

"You do know she can hear you."

"It's okay. Maybe I am crazy. I mean how did I get here to begin with? It has to be a part of my imagination."

"Look what you did," Rukia hissed. Ichigo backed away from her. The last thing he wanted was to get her vex. Nor did he appreciate the spirit second guessing herself.

He raised his hands in the air. "I didn't mean that and you are in a different world."

"I know different worlds exist," the blond girl said. "I've been to Edolas." She began counting the different names on her fingers while tears were falling from her eyes. "The Celestial World, and my future me went back in time. But then again, I can hope all of this is a dream."

He couldn't help but wonder where she came from if she could time travel.

"However, it doesn't matter now. They're all gone. Everything is lost. I don't even have her key anymore."

"Whose key?" Rukia questioned, sensing the spirit was at her breaking point.

"Aquarius," she answered.

"Who?" Ichigo broke in.

"I sacrificed her key to summon the Celestial King and it was all in vain." Then she collapsed on the ground. She quietly sobbed about failing her friends.

Ichigo had friends, who were special like him. They could see hollows and the wandering souls who weren't ready to depart into the Soul Society. If he lost one of them…. Heck, he blamed himself for many years for killing his mother when it was a hollow who was responsible. The burden he walked with all those years and the grief plagued him. He could only imagine a little bit of what she felt.

"Look, now you did it. You made her cry," Rukia hissed at him. She hit the back of his head, causing him to yelp.

"I didn't mean to," he said while rubbing the sore spot where she hit him.

"Whatever. You need to be more understanding. Be less grouchy and be nice for once." Okay, maybe he deserved to be lectured by Rukia. A lot of people tended to tell him he was too serious for his own good. But he was an older brother of two sisters, and he had a weird father. In a way, he had to grow up and be the mature one.

Rukia knelt by the spirit's side and began patting her head. She said words of encouragement, which was rare, considering she was a Soul Reaper. Most of the time she was solemn and thoughtful. It was in perilous situations he was able to get some idea of her thoughts.

All of a sudden Rukia and the blond girl stilled. He felt it more than heard it. A strong spiritual aura reeked the atmosphere. All around them got too quiet. He stood his ground as he looked around him.

There was nothing.

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He tried to sense the spiritual aura's location.

Still there was nothing.

"Rukia, did you bring the glove?"

She already had the black glove on. Before he saw it coming, she pushed at his body until he felt his spiritual form leave his body. His body slumped over in her arms.

The crying girl peered through her fingers. She wiped the tears away with the back of her hands while stumbling to her feet.

Wariness pricked over his senses. The acrid spiritual presence wreaked havoc to a point he couldn't sense it. Since when did hollows become strong or even get brains?

He drew his zanpakuto from its sheathe. The blade felt at home in his hand although it was big for its size. The sword was only big due to him having large amounts of reiatsu.

Then he saw a looming shadow by the blond weeping girl. He made to move by her side, but astonishingly, she turned her head toward the shadow and moved out of its way before one of its tentacles could strike her.

He shook himself out his haze and brought his zanpakuto on the withdrawing tentacle. The hollow's scream pierced the air. He skidded to a halt before he saw another one. Rukia was able to drag his body out of harm's way. The spirit was standing next to her. Her round gaze on the two hollows.

"Great. There's two of them."

The hollows turned toward him due to the amount of reiatsu that he was emitting from his frame. If he could distract the hollows long enough, Rukia and the girl named Lucy could get away. The hollows were grotesque, with bulging shoulders and arms. They were enormous in size and black in color. Their faces were covered by white masks with line patterns. Their eyes were beady and red.

He rushed at them as more tentacles dashed at him. He slashed them out of his way with his zanpakuto, his limbs became blurs of movement. Rukia and Lucy were running away with his body in tow but he knew Rukia would return to assist him.

A tentacle breezed past him. Another one caught his left shoulder. Instantly blood welled and began to leak from his injured shoulder as the tentacle pulled away. He grunted in pain. The other hollow moved to strike him, but he evaded it and brought his sword down on its mask. The hollow shrieked as the mask began to crack.

"One hollow down. Another one to go."

He struck his zanpakuto on the other hollow with all of his strength on top of its head, but the blow missed the hollow's face. It jeered and lunged for his throat.

Ichigo reared back and brought the heel of his foot to the hollow's side. He heard something cracked. Then he swiped his zanpakuto to the other hollow's side. It shrieked in pain before stepping back and disappearing into thin air.

Ichigo scanned his surrounding to see Rukia standing beside a building. His body lay on the floor next to her. Only the blond girl was missing. He frowned.

"Where's the blond spirit?" he asked.

Rukia checked behind her and then right back at him. "I don't know. She was here a second ago."

"You've got to be kidding me?"

In an instant, they heard a scream.

Down the street, the hollow held up the blond girl by her throat. She struggled to free herself from its grip while her legs dangled in the air.

"Shit," he muttered. He didn't know if he could make it there in time to save her without her being severely injured. But he had to try.

He dashed down the street, his spiritual energy rising with his intent to kill the hollow. A tentacle wrapped around his foot, making him slightly trip. He caught himself in time and jumped into the air. He slammed his heel into the hollow's face. Part of the mask cracked. The hollow screeched in pain. Ichigo had to cover one ear. A light flashed briefly, causing him to stumble back and to close his eyes. When he opened them, the blond girl was free. A fighter with blond hair punched the hollow with light bearing from his fist. He was long and slender and moved as graceful as a dancer when he twisted and ducked from the tentacle dashing at him.

"Loke," the spirit whispered. She blinked her eyes and shook her head before she peeled away from the fight and hurtled toward Ichigo.

"We can get out of here now. Loke can handle this," she said to him as she grabbed his arm.

"No. I'm a Soul Reaper and it's my duty to destroy hollows," he answered, pulling his arm from her grip. She stared at him with wide eyes.

He turned his attention on the hollow when he saw the newcomer rammed his fist into the hollow's face. The mask crumbled and hollow screamed before it's body began dispersing into nothingness.

The newcomer's suit had dust as he straightened his cuffs, dusted off his black suit and rolled his neck. Ichigo didn't waste time. He sheathed his zanpakuto on his back and he slammed the newcomer to the wall of a building.

Rukia had joined them when the blond girl yelled at him. "Stop! He's not going to hurt you! He's a friend of mine!"

"I thought you lost all your friends."

"I thought so to but he's here. Please stop hurting him," she begged. Ichigo didn't like to hear Lucy pleading nor did he like to see her crying.

"Next time, leave the fighting to me," he warned the stranger.

"I was only trying to protect my mistress."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Mistress?"

"He's one of the celestial spirits I told you that I can summon with my keys." She raised her rusty keys at him, except there was one key that was gold and shiny.

He shockingly stared at it while he let go the stranger. Coming back to himself, he stepped back and examined the spirit's friend. The guy's face was covered by shades. His blond hair shown in the sunlight. Dark intelligent brown eyes peered through the depths of his spectacles. And his aura seemed strange.

This stranger was no ordinary human. He wasn't a spirit like the blond girl either because his chest didn't have a chain.

"Who the hell are you? And how can you see me?" he questioned the stranger. Instantly, his right hand reached for his zanpakuto.


	2. Lost Soul

The blond girl did something unexpected. She ducked and swept Ichigo's feet from under him with her leg. He fell a heap on the floor while she jumped in front of the other spirit.

"No, you don't!" she yelled. "No one messes with my spirits!" She put her hands on her hips while she glared at him, daring him to pull out his zanpakuto.

He blinked his eyes, shocked at the change in her demeanor. She went from sad too fierce as fast as someone turning on a light switch. Even Rukia stared at the blond girl with rounded eyes.

"What the heck?" he asked as he blinked his eyes. He rose to his feet and wiped the dust from his black hakama. Then, he went into the girl's face and yelled, "Why the hell did you do that?"

She pushed her face further to his. Fire was flashing in her eyes. "I said no one messes with my spirits!"

Ichigo took a step back. "I wasn't going to hurt him or anything. I just wanted to know how he's able to see me."

"He's one of my zodiac spirits I can summon from the Celestial World, which means he can see what I can see and there's a fact that he's a spirit so he can see you." Lucy folded her hands across her chest. Instantly, the chain rattled causing him to switch his focus from her face to the hole in her chest. He frowned. "What are you looking at?"

"I was just wondering how is it you have a hole in your chest."

It was Lucy's turn to blink, before she glanced down at her ample chest. Her eyes widened as her cheeks flushed. Then, she screamed. Rukia hit him roughly on the head.

"Ouch!" he yelped. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"You don't ask a girl a question like that," she answered furiously.

"Watch where you look at my mistress," the other unusual spirit warned him. "I won't hesitate to punch you next time."

Ichigo shook his head and he glared at the three figures before he inhaled a deep breath. "I didn't mean to offend you," he finally said to the girl named Lucy. "But you will notice in this world that spirits who have chains attached to their bodies don't have holes in their chest unless they are becoming hollows."

Rukia's dark eyebrows drew together. She put a hand under her chin as she appeared to be deep in thought. "Now, that you mention it, Ichigo, you're right."

Lucy took a step back. Her demeanor changed again as if someone turned off a light switch. Her sudden fierceness was gone. It was replaced by confusion. The orange haired spirit she was protecting instantly moved to her side. Concern was written all over his face as he put an arm around her shoulders. He, too, looked down at her chest and frowned when he saw the hole. "Why in Mavis does she have a hole in her chest?"

Ichigo turned to look at Rukia. She was the person who held all the answers since she was knowledgeable about spirits and hollows. Although, he was a substitute soul reaper, it was a part-time job. "I don't know," Rukia answered after some time. "The only thing that comes to mind is if she in the process of becoming a hollow."

Ichigo's breath caught when Loke turned to angrily face Rukia. Automatically, Ichigo stepped in front of Rukia. His right hand reached for the hilt of his sword on his back. "A hollow? What is that?"

"It must be those creatures that attacked us," the blond girl finally spoke up. Watery brown eyes raised to meet his dark ones. "Am I going to turn into one those things?" Again, Ichigo felt a stirring in his chest, the urge to protect the blond girl.

"I…. Uh…." Ichigo fumbled for words as his hand dropped limply to his side.

"You don't have to worry about that right now. It usually takes months before a spirit turns into a hollow."

He turned his attention to Rukia. "But she isn't a normal spirit."

Rukia glared at him. "I know that."

He raised his hand to scratch his head while he looked uncomfortable. "Doesn't that mean becoming a hollow might be different for her?"

He felt a hostile stare coming from the orange haired spirit.

Rukia inhaled a deep breath. "I hate to admit it, Ichigo, but you have a point."

"Umm… Uh… I don't know what is going on," the blond girl replied.

Rukia titled her head back while she looked up at the cloudy sky. Her hand remained under her chin as she voiced her opinion. "The thing is lost souls are very rare in the Soul Society. No one I know has come across one in their lifetime."

"So, then, how do you know about lost souls?" Ichigo interrupted Rukia with his question.

Her eyes moved to him. "Can you give me a chance to finish?"

He raised his hands in defense but he was shocked when she didn't hit him. Instead she focused her attention on the clouds slowly drifting in the sky.

"As I was saying, when I became a Soul Reaper, I was learning how to control the power from my zanpakuto. Reiatsu was important information for me to study because it helps Soul Reapers harness their powers to understand the form. It was during my research, I chanced viewing an important document, which shouldn't be available to anyone under Captain rank."

"Captain?" Lucy and Ichigo asked in unison. They both looked at each other and blinked their eyes at the same time.

"In the Soul Society, there are thirteen Court Squads and each squad has a Captain. The Captains are in charge of protecting the Soul Society," Rukia answered.

"Oh… I see." They said as they blinked their eyes again at the dark haired girl.

"Like I was saying, the important document had a brief description of lost souls." Rukia looked at Lucy and used her hands to gesture to the blond's body. "The description is stated as you appear. Furthermore, there has been two other lost souls the Soul Society have encountered. Their abilities, though, remains a question."

"At least she didn't draw her explanation," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me," Rukia huffed. A tick formed on her head before she hit Ichigo on the head again with a fist.

He rubbed the sore spot, wondering how he was still able to think after being hit by the raven haired girl so many times. He shook his head before getting serious. "So, you don't know any more about lost souls?" he asked.

Rukia pinned him with an annoyed look. "Don't you think I would have already taken action?"

Ichigo crossed his arms over his broad chest. A tick was forming on the top of his head while he was trying to think of what to do next. "Damn! I can't think of what to do next!"

Rukia was also lost in thought.

"You can return to the Celestial World, Loke." It was the blond spirit's voice that broke his reverie. Then, an idea popped into his mind.

"I got it!" he announced. "How about we visit Mister Hat and Clogs? He should know something about lost souls."

Rukia nodded her head with a smile brightening her face. "That's a good idea."

"Mister Hats and Clogs," Lucy repeated.

"Oh, it's a name I call him based on how he dresses," Ichigo said as he waved his hand in the air. "He owns a shop with weird things. But he seems to know a lot of stuff about hollows and the Soul Society. He should definitely have some idea about you."

"I think we should get out of here immediately," the orange haired spirit warned. "I feel another omniscient presence."

Ichigo reached for his zanpakuto at his back. His body stiffened as he searched around him for another hollow. Rukia reached for her cell phone and flipped the lid open to detect any other dangerous spirits.

"Since the phone isn't beeping, there aren't any other hollows," she concurred.

"But if the attacks from earlier say anything, we are vulnerable standing out here. We need a place to hide for a while," the orange haired spirit said while his eyes narrowed on the spot where the other hollow held Lucy by the neck. Ichigo did a retake as he wondered if the guy knew something he wasn't sharing with the others. Besides, he noticed it was unusual for hollows to attack as a group. They attacked helpless souls separately and their strength was based on how many souls they could consume. Yet the hollows he and the other guy destroyed displayed an unusual collaboration.

Ichigo frowned. "I think he's right. We should get to Mister Hat and Clog's shop right away."

"I hope Urahara is there," Rukia replied. "I've been trying to get him lately but for some reason he's not answering his phone."

Then a roar pierced the air. Both him and the other guy tensed. The air began to feel heavy. The blond girl's spirit grunted and fell to his knees from the spiritual pressure. Rukia dashed to the girl's side to find out if she was alright. The spiritual pressure caused her to collapse with Lucy. The spirit saw his mistress was in distress and struggled to get on his feet to help her.

"Don't," she gasped. "Help him, Loke." The spirit nodded his head before straightening his body. Ichigo pulled out his zanpakuto from his back and angled the big sword in front of him. He jumped and landed on one of the rooftops of the houses. He scanned the area around him and then leaped down to the ground. He landed on a crouch, his fingertips grazing the rough surface of the cement while his other hand gripped his large sword tightly.

"Did you see anything?" the orange haired spirit asked him.

"No, not a thing."

Another roar rang in the air. The ground began to shake before the cement crumbled into pieces. The hollow became visible and the orange headed guy crashed into a wall of a building. Ichigo dashed at the hollow, bringing down his gigantic sword on one of the bulging arms. The creature shrieked in pain. Ichigo jumped back and skidded to a halt. Beside him, the other spirit straightened himself before smirking.

"That is pretty embarrassing," Ichigo said to him while never straying his eyes from the dark grotesque figure in front of him. The hollow was tall with bulging arms and legs. A white mask with black carvings covered his face. Only beady yellow eyes were visible from behind the mask.

"I can't have that happen again. I have to protect Lucy with all my might." He rushed at the hollow.

"Wait!" Ichigo yelled at him.

The creature swung at the orange head with heavy fists. Ichigo moved in without another thought. As the spirit evaded one of the spirit's fists, Ichigo raised his leg and kicked at the hollow's side. Then, he swiped at the legs with his zanpakutuo. The hollow screeched.

"We have to go for the mask!" Ichigo yelled to the guy next to him. "You attack and create an opening for me! I'll do the rest!"

Both guys jumped back when the hollow retaliated with a roar and swung punches at them.

"Usually, I don't cooperate with anyone who isn't Lucy, but you know how to handle these creatures."

Ichigo smirked. "It's the job of a Soul Reaper to get rid of hollows."

The other guy smirked and put a pointer finger to his spectacles. The lens glinted off the light from the sun. "All right!" He slammed his fists together. "Let's put an end to this!"

The spirit dashed to the hollow, putting his heel down on the hollow's foot. His fist lit up with light before slamming it into the hollow's mask. Instantly, he jumped back.

"It's your turn, Soul Reaper."

"You're right about that." Ichigo lowered his sword but he made sure the blade was facing up. Quickly, he dodged an attack from the hollow and raised his sword up, slicing through the head and mask. The hollow gave one last shriek before it disintegrated into nothing.

Ichigo turned to look at the people around him. Rukia and the blond girl were kneeling near his body. The orange head spirit was standing next to his mistress. Quickly, he assessed the damage and when he noticed no one was hurt, he returned to his body.

"Let's get out of here before more hollows appear," he said as he unconsciously grabbed Lucy's hand and began to lead her away from what used to be a battle scene. Rukia tagged after them with the other unusual spirit.

oOo

The last thing Lucy expected was to find herself in another world. She always believed that after death came nothingness. Her parents' death showed her that, although she did write letters to her mother as consolation.

But if she was still existing in form of a spirit, did that mean her friends were spirits as well? Was there a chance they arrived to the world she was in?

Lucy shook her head as dejection swamped her. There was no reason to build up her hopes to only have it shatter with the mere truth; she would never see her friends again. In fact, the world she drifted into was some form of punishment. Maybe she had to atone for not being strong enough to save her friends.

She shook her head again. No, atonement didn't seem like a possibility. If what the Soul Reaper said was true, she was going to a darker place, which meant her time in the living world was limited. Absently, Lucy's fingers curled around the chain. The rattling caused her to wince.

The monsters who attacked them were frighteningly strong. They didn't have second thoughts of hurting her and the others. Would she become as mindless as them? Would she intentionally hurt others?

Lucy didn't want to think about hollows anymore. Her imagination already ran wild with the different possibilities of her being in Karakura Town and each one didn't bode well.

"Maybe it's because I'm dead everything seems grim," she mumbled. She hoped the others didn't hear her. They already had enough to deal with.

She soon learned upon arriving at Urahara's shop that the blond man was an eccentric along with the kids who worked at his shop. The most bizarre one though was the large, brunette man dressed in an apron. There was a glint in his eyes that even his spectacles couldn't hide the moment Rukia mentioned "lost soul." Instantly his eyes landed on her.

She had to wonder if he knew something about the subject. Quickly, she glanced around her to see if anyone else noticed how he reacted to the word. Rukia was too busy rambling to the blond man wearing a strange striped hat, a dark coat with a green shirt and pants underneath. Ichigo and Loke were watching on with amusement. The kids stepped out from the room and the young girl with pinky tails returned with a tray of hot teas for everyone. The red haired boy who was with her stooped near the sliding door.

The young girl placed the mug in front of her. "Thanks," she murmured.

The girl with pinky tails nodded her head while she brought the tray to her chest.

"Thank you Ururu," the eccentric man said to her as well. She lowered her head as she smiled shyly. She got up and went to the hallway before sliding the door closed; however, Lucy noticed that she stayed with the red headed boy.

"He's a nosy one," Loke whispered to her.

She scrunched up her face at him. He shrugged his shoulders in return.

The eccentric man cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. When the room quieted, he lightly sipped his steaming cup of tea before putting it down on the table. "So shall we get started?"

The Substitute Soul Reaper who saved Lucy's life looked at his friend. Rukia began telling the tale of how they met and everything else that followed it. Lucy's eyes fluttered to the large man with coils in his hair when Rukia mentioned "lost soul." Again, Lucy saw a flash in his eyes. He, obviously, knew something about lost souls and she wondered if he was going to share his information with everyone else.

"That's strange," the man with the striped hat said, catching her attention. He put a hand under his chin as he closed his eyes. "After all this time I have never come across a lost soul."

Automatically, everyone's shoulders dropped. This meeting was a failure. But then the man perked up as he raised his head and opened his eyes. He pounded a fist into an open palm. "But this doesn't mean we can't learn more about lost souls."

"Huh?" Lucy said, trying to catch up with the sudden change in the atmosphere.

It was Rukia who informed her. "When Urahara doesn't have the information right away, he obtains it through research."

"Which means you don't mind if she stays here for a couple of days?" Urahara questioned the dark haired girl.

She frowned. Even Lucy's eyebrows tucked together at the thought of staying with a stranger. He wasn't asking her directly, like if she could make her own decisions. Instead, he was asking someone else. Lucy didn't like this.

She craned her head to look at Rukia but her eyes landed on Loke and she noted that he too didn't like how the eccentric man didn't ask her either. At least someone was on her side. Then she moved her eyes from Loke to the Substitute Soul Reaper and a breath caught in her throat. There was a scowl on the guy's face. His dark eyes narrowed on the owner of the shop and for some reason Lucy was reminded of Natsu's protective nature. She forced herself to look away before she got too emotional.

"I don't know."

"If she stays here, I can gather more information from her." Urahara's attention went to the sliding door. "Besides, she will be safe here. If the hollows are after her, which I don't deny it considering her reiatsu, we can protect her."

"It's not my call," Rukia answered.

"Did the Soul Society contact you?" Rukia took out her phone and flipped it open. Her face dropped at the bright screen. "So you have no word and there is no possible place for her to stay."

"She can stay at my place," Ichigo suddenly suggested.

Everyone turned to stare at him. "What?"

"Your place has no wards for hollows. They can attack any time you're not there."

"But she'll be safe if I'm there," he insisted.

"And I'll be with him," Rukia added. Lucy decided she really liked the Substitute Soul Reaper and his friend.

"Sir, if I may make a suggestion," said another masculine voice. Lucy noticed how he never took a seat with her and the others. Instead he stood aside as he listened to the serious conversation.

"What is it Tessai?" the owner said with a serious voice. Instantly, Rukia straightened up in her seat. Lucy noted how she and Ichigo didn't touch their cups of tea.

"As touching as it sounds that she," he pointed to Lucy as he made his suggestion, "can stay with friends, it's a better idea to have her stay with us. The chain and the hole in her chest are evidence that she will become a hollow and she will attract other hollows. We can slow down her process. Also, take note of her reiatsu. It's unlike any others we encountered. She will be safer under our protection while we gather answers for now."

What he said might have sounded convincing to Lucy had she not witnessed the glint in his eyes earlier. However, she didn't like the idea of staying with strangers nor did she like how he was hiding information from her.

"You do have a point," Rukia agreed to a degree. "But-."

"Lucy will be better off staying at my place," Ichigo said again. Lucy felt her heart flutter in her chest at how the Substitute Soul Reaper said her name. He was motioning to the large man that she had a name.

"And I can't act without orders from the Soul Society," Rukia put in.

"Think about it," the large man continued. "If the Soul Society hasn't contact you yet and you mentioned about seeing a document about lost souls without having a Captain rank, if the Soul Society learns about her, nothing good will come from it."

"What do you mean?" both Loke and Ichigo asked at the same time. Their hands clenched into fists. Lucy could hear their guttural growls.

The large man glanced at Rukia. His face remained neutral but Rukia looked down at her cup of tea. Her fingers curled around the cup but she made no motion to drink the tea.

"Rukia?" Ichigo questioned.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing about?"

"I wasn't completely honest with you," she said with a low tone. Lucy saw how she looked at her with uncertainty the moment she raised her head.

"What do you mean, Rukia?"

"I'm not sure if the Soul Society will let Lucy live."

"Wait, what?" Loke interrupted. Quickly, he stood up from his seat.

Lucy blinked at the dark haired girl.

"She's turning into a hollow and the immediate reaction Soul Reapers have to spirits hollowfying is to destroy them. Lucy will be…."

"No!" Loke growled. "No one will touch Lucy!"

"Loke," Lucy warned. Somehow, she wasn't shocked. After witnessing how much destruction the hollows left in Karakura Town, she could understand the Soul Reapers duty to exercise evil. Hollows were evil spirits who preyed on the innocent and soon she was going to become one of them. A complete monster.

While she didn't voice her concern to the others, she felt a darkness lurking in her soul. The darkness came from the feelings of regret and being a total failure to save her friends in Magnolia. Without them, without Fairy Tail, she felt like she had no purpose. They were her inspiration, her motivation to do what was right. But they weren't here. Natsu wasn't here.

She exhaled a breath.

"Aren't you curious as to how she ended up being here from a different world?" the owner of the shop questioned. His question quieted down everyone.

Loke remained standing while Ichigo bowed his head. The shadow of his orange hair covered his eyes.

"Something I learned from my long years here is nothing happens without a reason." He looked at everyone in the room.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Loke responded. "My soul duty is to protect my mistress from anyone who threatens her."

"We are not the threat," the eccentric man said with a grave voice. "We are trying to piece important information as to why she's here. The information will provide clues for the reason she is here and we can use it to save her from the Soul Society."

"Is there a way we can save her from becoming a hollow?" Ichigo suddenly asked. Everyone craned their necks to look at him.

Urahara was silent for a moment. The silence deafened the room until Lucy put a hand on Loke's pants. She tugged at him to sit down beside her. He cooperated for the moment.

"I can't guarantee one hundred percent that I can save her but there is a way she can be saved."

"Really?" Rukia gasped.

"It's very tricky but Lucy will have to stay with us if you want her to be saved from being a hollow."

"That's fine with me," Ichigo replied, leaving no room for argument.

Lucy didn't like how the others were making calls for her without asking her. But she didn't have to wait for someone to voice her opinion. As usual, Loke defended her. "Lucy's the one to make a decision. Not you." The spirit growled low. She could hear his teeth grinding from anger. If she didn't lay a hand on his shoulder, he was going to throw punches at the people in the room.

"You're right," the large man answered. "Everything is up to her."

All of their eyes landed on her, pinning her down to a point she felt like she couldn't breathe properly.

Nervously, her hands clutched at the hem of her dress. She squeezed the cotton fabric while she bit down on her lip. She hunched over.

Lucy never handled being under pressure properly. That was how she killed her friends and lost her precious spirit. Countless of times she failed her teammates when they depended on her.

Lucy couldn't do anything right.

But there was a possibility things could change.

"In the end it comes down to her. How badly does she want to survive? This is the only way she can be saved but it's all on her," the owner continued where the large man left off.

Maybe Lucy did find a way to finally be with her friends. If she was already dead, what more did she have left to lose?

Lucy raised her head. From her peripheral vision, she saw Loke's body stiffened. Ichigo's dark eyes never wavered from her face. Rukia watched everything with astonishment. "All right. I will stay," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments are welcomed.


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